Chapter 118: The Reappearance of the Water-Averting Pearl

Ji Xiuyuan leaped from the carriage first, followed closely by Ji Jiuxuan.

The moment Xue Ningxue caught sight of Ji Jiuxuan, she found it hard to believe. Gazing at that figure, she couldn't help but recall Xue Ningyu’s words: "Could it be that the Ji family is about to become betrothed to some other house?"

There had been no word of any young ladies from the Southern Sea coast, so why would even the third young master of the Ji family personally escort her?

Ji Xiuqi’s cold, clear gaze flickered, and the more he thought, the more distressed he felt.

At this moment, Ji Xiuyuan stood before Ji Jiuxuan, crouched down to meet her eyes, and opened his arms. "Come here, let’s have a hug."

Ji Jiuxuan looked into his clean, pure eyes, seeing the nervousness hidden beneath his joy. She smiled and nestled into his embrace. "Third Brother, don’t worry. Once you return, I will definitely harass you with communication jade talismans every single day."

"Very well, Third Brother will be waiting." He patted her head, his touch so gentle this time that her hair remained perfectly in place.

Standing up, Ji Xiuyuan said to her, "Put the carriage away. I’ll watch you go inside before I leave." Though the third young master of the Ji family could be a bit blunt, he was surprisingly meticulous about certain things.

The carriage vanished in an instant. "Then Third Brother, I’m heading in now."

"Go on." Ji Xiuyuan waved, watching until the little girl had entered Jinda Restaurant before he turned and walked toward the villa with peace of mind. He had heard the gossip from the crowd earlier, and upon turning to see the Xue sisters, he was left speechless. He had initially wanted to issue a warning, but remembering his grandfather’s instructions before their departure, he fell silent and continued on his way. With their uncle and aunt missing and others lurking in the shadows with designs on his little sister, the greatest help he could provide was to avoid causing any trouble for her while he was away.

Xue Ningxue had sensed the warning from the third young master and felt her spirits sink, while Xue Ningyu’s words played on an endless loop in her mind. Had he truly become betrothed?

Back inside, Ji Jiuxuan found her senior sister examining some stones. Walking over, she realized they looked just like the ones from the auction, only smaller.

"Why have these ores shrunk?" Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her, and she asked with a smile, "Senior Sister, did the junior grand-uncle give you a share of those stones?"

"That’s right." Meng Jiao did not mind that the ores were pitifully small. She smiled and said, "Master said this is a reward for helping, though it comes with a study assignment."

Pointing to one of them, Meng Jiao said happily, "This ore is worthy of coming from a top-tier vein. The patterns and the energy contained within are completely different; it’s much more malleable." Knowing her junior sister didn't understand these things, she took out a similar piece of ore from her spatial storage and placed them side by side. "Can you see the difference between them?"

Whenever Meng Jiao spoke of her expertise, she was full of enthusiasm. After sensing them, Ji Jiuxuan was surprised to find that although the two stones looked identical on the outside and possessed the same aura, what lay hidden within was vastly different.

"Grand-uncle really didn't lose out this time!" She had been curious as to why he was so focused on these ores; so that was why.

Aside from these ores, the junior grand-uncle had bought quite a few other things. She wondered if they all held some special quality.

"Indeed, he didn't lose out."

Ji Jiuxuan did not wish to disturb her senior sister further and sat to one side. Thinking of the storage bag her eldest brother had given her before she returned—remembering he said it would be useful when she eventually returned to the Southern Sea coast—she couldn't help but take it out to look.

Upon seeing a smooth, water-blue orb, Ji Jiuxuan pulled it out, stunned into a daze. "Senior Sister, is this the one from the auction?" The price of this item had been quite high back then. She had never expected her eldest brother to have been the one to bid for it, and then to pass it on to her.

Hearing her words, Meng Jiao looked up, walked over in surprise, and confirmed, "It is the one."

Ji Jiuxuan didn't know what to say. Water-repelling pearls often had greenish impurities, but this one was completely clear.

"Junior Sister, where did you get this water-repelling pearl?" They had been together at the auction, and since her junior sister wasn't one to hide things, there would have been no reason to buy it in secret. But who was so generous? Suddenly thinking of Ji Xiuqi, she understood instantly and laughed. "Did Ji Xiuqi give this to you?" That cold-faced noble young master—it was exactly the kind of thing he would do.

Ji Jiuxuan nodded. "Yes, eldest brother gave it to me. He said it would come in handy when I go back to the Southern Sea coast." Checking the bag again, she found it was fully stocked with everything from boats to maritime supplies. If she had been left to prepare for her return to the Southern Sea on her own, she never would have thought of such a comprehensive list.

"That is true. The seas are fraught with danger. With this, even if you fell to the bottom of the ocean, you could simply walk back."

Hearing her senior sister say this, Ji Jiuxuan imagined the scene and found it rather strange. However, with the water-repelling pearl, wouldn't it be much easier to catch seafood in the ocean?

Meng Jiao sighed with emotion. "As expected of the young master of the Ji family. Why didn't I think of that? If I had, I wouldn't have let Ji Xiuqi buy it; I would have bought it for you myself. It would have saved the trouble."

Her senior sister’s thinking was certainly unique. Ji Jiuxuan couldn't help but say, "Senior Sister, if you had thought of it, and my eldest brother also wanted to buy it, wouldn't you have been bidding against each other? The price would have been driven up, and the auction house would have been the only one to profit."

Meng Jiao laughed confidently. "That would never happen. Have you forgotten my ability?"

Right. Her "lucky hands"—a trait Ji Jiuxuan could never hope to match.

"Junior Sister, hurry and form a soul-bond with it." Good things had to be bound immediately; otherwise, if it were lost, the regret would be immeasurable.

Ji Jiuxuan nodded, and once the bond was formed, the pearl vanished from sight. Sensing it, she realized it was now resting in the palm of her hand. The storage bag also contained instructions on how to use it; with the help of hand seals and the circulation of spiritual energy, she could activate the pearl.

"It’s not of much use right now. We’ll find a place to test it another day so you’re prepared." It was inevitable that her junior sister would head to the Southern Sea coast, so early preparations were for the best. Ji Xiuqi’s gift reminded her that she, too, should start preparing necessities for her junior sister, lest she forget something at the last minute.

"All right." Ji Jiuxuan put the storage bag away.

Because the door was open, Sikong Chanyan’s voice was clearly audible. As she drew closer, Ji Jiuxuan also recognized the voice of her junior grand-uncle; the two were arriving together.

Sikong Chanyan was as bewitching and intellectual as ever.

"Auntie Yan." Seeing a beauty always improved one’s mood. Although she was constantly surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women, Sikong Chanyan seemed to possess a unique charm all her own.

"Little A-Jiu is back!" She laughed, "Did you see the dance I performed? Was it beautiful?"

Ji Jiuxuan nodded sincerely; it truly had been beautiful.

Sikong Chanyan leaned down and kissed her cheek, smiling. "When you leave, A-Jiu, remember to come back and visit Auntie Yan another day!"

Taken aback by the kiss, Ji Jiuxuan realized only then that Sikong Chanyan carried a hint of enchantment, one that made people involuntarily yearn for her.